Tuesday, March 21, 2006

How 'bout them Apples?

The past several months, I've developed a routine of having apples for my afternoon snack. I'm not sure an apple a day keeps the doctor away completely, but it is a healthy snack, and the fiber is supposed to be good for cholesterol control. I had been doing Fuji apples, which are my husband's favorite, but I decided I should start experimenting around since there are so many varieties to choose from. And boy do they vary! The sweet and crisp Fuji is still near the top of my list, but I think my favorite may now be Braeburn which is also sweet and very crisp. (Especially for eating whole apples, the "bite" is an important aspect.) And the Granny Smith rounds out my top three, also crisp but with a distinctive tart flavor. It's a balanced tart, not a sour tart, and quite nice. Other decent apples include Gala, Pink Lady, and Red Delicious. The Gala is crisp but slightly less sweet than Fuji or Braeburn, and the Pink Lady is even less sweet than Gala, heading toward sour tart. The Red Delicious is sweet but softer, not as crisp. The Macintosh has a flavor most like apple juice (are they juicing apples, I wonder?), medium sweet, with a thick skin, and a medium soft consistency. Not high on my list. The Crispin was unusual. The initial bite is a loud snap, but then it's soft. The flavor was surprisingly pear-like (I'm thinking of Bartletts). Not bad. Apples at the bottom of my list are Pippin and Rome, both of which were bland, soft, and mealy. What are your favorite apples?

2 comments:

KipEsquire said...

What are your favorite apples?"

Does iTunes count?

Anonymous said...

I've never been a big apple-fruit fan. (If I may borrow a joke from kipesquire, I can't just say "I've never been an apple fan" because I've always had Macs...) Pears were my fruit of choice as I was growing up. I suppose I never developed a taste for apples. But: I'm intrigued by the Crispin for its likeness to a Bartlett pear. I'll have to try one. I recently had a kumquat for the first time ... adventures in fruit!

PS If I may divert toward pears for a moment, in order of preference: Bartlett-D'Anjou-Bosc. Bosc pears were an occasional novelty, but in the end, don't really make the cut.